Connector for windshield wiper blades and arms



March 31, 1953 F. A. KROHM 2,632,909

CONNECTOR FOR WINDSHIELD WIPER BLADES AND ARMS Filed Oct. 1, 1947 mmyroa. F IEED A. K IEOHM BY ATTO EY Patented Mar. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFl-CE 'UONNEGTOR FOR WINDS'HTEDD BLADES AND JFre'd A. Krohm, Gary, Ind.,.assignor toBroductive :Inventins,.lnc. ,a corporation .of Indiana Application October 1, 1947, Serial*N 01777 204 (Cl. BIS-e250,)

6 Glaims.

1 I ""This' sinvention rel'ates*towindshield wipers "and particularly to means for assembling the actuating arm and the wiper blade :in operative crelat'ionShip.

Windshield wiper actuating arms havea longer life than the wiper blades with "the :result that wiper blades :of current manufacture :must .be adapted to operate with various :types of actuating-:arms whioh'have been used to equip automotive vehicles.

:An object 'ofithe invention is .toprov'ide a-novel connecting means between actuating arms having a 'shallow vcurved shock :on 'the :free "end and wiper blades 'rnot constructed .to operate "with such arms.

in particular nbject'of the invention (is to provide a: novel 'ione apiece :connector member adapt- -ed to be connected and removed 2irom :a wiping iblade element tand the :actuating .armtherefor.

,An important object :ofithe invention .is' to provide a connecting element which cannot :be removed ifrom :the actuating arm :until after it is detached :from the wiper blade.

:A :further :object .of the invention'is to provide a connecting adapter element of the character vindicated which is inexpensive to manufacture,

' toi durable construction and of :high efficiency fin actuating arm;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side .elevational view of the connector elementemployed to connect the free shallow curved' hook end of a windshield wiper actuating arm and a wiper bladeassembly in operating relationship;

.Figure A .is an enlarged transverse sectional elevational view view itakensubstantialIyas indicated by .the line b- 4 of Figure 3; and I figure .5 :is an enlargedstransverse sectional wiew itaken substantially as .indicated by line .55 ofFigure 3.

eReferring particularly to Figures 3 through ;5-.of

.ahe drawing, the present invention is shown upieratively connecting a windshield Wiper blade gtoia wiper actuating arm The wiper blade com- ;prises :cleaner means preferably in the form :of

or vholder :1 therefor, and :a connector "means .or member 8 attached to and supported .by the resilient zwiping element 6 by means oi two sets of inturned integral .lugs 01 :teeth .9 extending through clearance openings ll] zeachside-of the -:channel -supporit .or backing 1 and engaging slots or grooves .lll preferablyformed throughout the :length :of resilient :wiping .element ii. .That portionof the wiping :element .in the @channel :which influences the :operation of the connection means constitutes iresilient means which serves a :iunctional use independently ;of the awiping sedge aof zthe zelement. The connection means 8 :may include ;a manually operable latch 12 resiliently vsupported .by and :pivoted on the :resilient wiping element :6 by ;means :of integral inturned :projections 13 which extend through [clearance openings l4.=inseach-side of the-channel support 51.. More specifically :in this respect. the projections 13 are .:inserted for disposition be,- tween the top of :the :resilientelement 6 and the :under side :of the :metal bridge or ;.base portion I5 of the support 1 separating the openings 1:4. The latch 12 -is:pr.ovided with aholding-portion .l'fi which normally serves as .an upper closure foran'openingg or.:recess ,ll provided in thememher 8, such recess being adapted to zreceivewan :entering part carried by a wiper arm.

fIhe'connectionmeans B and latch I land manher of connecting them to the wiper blade claimed in mycopending application, Serial No. 1311;425 filed September 25, .1952.

A typical wiper actuating .arm I8 lfcr JISEEW -th the invention includes a shallow curved hook -Ia9;provided rwith-lan integral retaining lug or projection 2.0, ;-fo.rme.d adjacent to the end of the ,hODk.

The wiper ;blade and actuating arm as described are illustrativeof blades and arms-in cur :rent use whichcannot ,be .:connected to operate without additional connector means .asprovided -by :the present invention.

, Theaconnector for .operatively connecting .the :hook portion :19 of .the actuating farm l8 .to the wiper blade member 8 is indicated asva whole .by the :numeral .21 in Figure .1. .The connector tis preferablyconstructed in. one piece. and, among .other things, includes .two outwardly facingchanncl-sections .or U-shaped legs 22 rand-a v-bridge portion 23 joining the legs 12 together in an .angularrelationship. The base or bottom .wall of: each .legis provided withanaperturefl. These :aperturesare substantiallyaligned.andiorm an .opening through which thehook I9 of the arm a ngesilient wiping element,,6, .a channel support extends. Each leg is further provided with .a bridge portion 25, .such portions being closely .related .to constitute .a part adapted for entry ,into .the recess 1.! the member 8.

To use the connector 2|, it is first loosely assembled on the hook 19 of the arm 18 as exemplified in Figure 2, and then the bridge portions or members 25 constituting the entering part are insertedin the opening or recess 11 in the member 8. The sides or wings 26 of the legs 22 of the connector are preferably offset inwardly as indicated at 21 to straddle and engage the sides 28 of member 8 to impart stability and assist in controlling the activities of the parts comprising the assembly. The arrangement is preferably such that the entering part upon insertion into the recess 17 will cause retraction of the latch 12 against the resistance of the resilient wiper element 6, as indicated by the dotted lines of the latch I2 in Figure 3, and when such part is properly seated in the recess the latch will snap back to its normal latched position to securely lock the part to member 8 and at the same time prevent removal of the arm from the connector due to the lug 20 on the arm.

To dissassemble the parts, it is merely necessary to manually engage the lever 29 on the latch 12 to retract the latch so that the connector may be withdrawn from the recess [1, after which the connector may be separated from the arm.

The opening, formed in the connector by the apertures 24, and the hook I9 of the actuating arm 18 are preferably so constructed and arranged that the connector may readily adjust itself with respect to the arm and to the member 8 in order that the resilient wiping element will same time properly adjust itself with respect to I member 8 as the blade is directed back and forth across the windshield or other surface to be cleaned.

If found desirable the connectormay be constructed so that one of the legs may be omitted.

Having thus described my invention in connection with certain specified embodiments, it will, of course, be understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto, since it is apparent that modifications may be made in such embodiments and the materials thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

- '1. A connector for connecting a wiper blade to 7 an entering part on a wiper arm, said connector comprising a pair of channel-shaped legs connected togetherv by a bridge portion, each of said legs having side walls and a'base wall, an aper- 2. A connector for connecting a wiper blade to I an entering part on a wiper arm, said connector comprising a pair of channel-shaped legs, each leg having side walls and a base wall provided with a bridge member, an aperture provided in each base wall, said apertures forming an opening for receiving an entering part of an actuating arm, and the side Walls of said legs being adapted for disposition on opposite sides of a part of a wiper blade in a manner whereby the bridge member may be connected with the blade.

3. In a windshield wiper, the combination with a wiper blade having a holding member thereon and an actuating arm therefor, of a connector comprising an upper bridge member suspended from said arm, two channel=shaped legs depending from said bridge member and having portions arranged on opposite sides of the holding member, aligned openings in said legs removably receiving said arm, and a lower bridge member arranged generally parallel to the upper bridge member defining the lower end of each leg opening and detachably engaging the holding member on said blade.

4. A connector for joining a windshield wiper blade provided with locking means and an actuating arm provided with an entering part, said connector comprising a body provided with an opening defined by upper and lower bridge means for the reception of said part, said locking means serving to engage the lower bridge means and detachably hold the connector to the wiper blade and to an entering part.

5. A one-piece connector for establishing a detachable connection between an entering part on the end of a windshield wiper arm and an individual attachment normally carried by a wiper blade, said connector consisting of a pair of opposed substantially planar Walls connected together by an upper bridge portion, an aperture provided in each wall, said apertures being aligned to provide an opening arranged substantially transverse to the planes of the walls for receiving an entering part, said walls being formed to provide portions spaced from the bridge portion for connection with the attachment, and said walls also having wing portions arranged substantially transverse to the planes of the walls for disposition on opposite sides of an entering part on an arm and an attachment when connected thereto. I

6. In combination: a wiper blade comprising an elongated support, an elongated wiping element attached to said support, a connector carried by the blade, a latch operatively related to the connector, an opening provided in the connector, an adapter having an inner portion seated in the opening and having an outer portion spaced from the connector, a wiper arm having an entering part arranged between the outer portion of the adapter and the connector, the relationship between the outer portion of the adapter, connector and the entering part being such that when the inner portion of the adapter is locked in the opening by the latch the entering part onthe arm will be held between the outer portion of the adapter and the connector.

FRED A. KROI-IM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,872,095 Romano -4 Aug. 16, 1932 2,156,506 Marcolivio May 2, 1939 2,170,939 Christen Aug. 29, 1939 2,172,928 Anderson Sept. 12, 1939 2,260,905 Horton Oct. 28, 1941 2,274,277 Rousseau Feb. 24, 1942 2,280,566 Zaiger Apr. 21, 1942 2,284,823 Horton June 2, 1942 2,293,820 Hansen Aug. 25, 1942 2,295,011 Rodrick Sept. 8, 1942 2,432,689 Smulski Dec. 16, 1947 2,432,693 Anderson Dec. 16, 1947 

